Montana Freemen walk out of "Justus Township"; 81-day standoff ends without a shot

Foreclosure proceedings had been closing in on the Clark County farm since late 1994, and by March 1996 the FBI had arrested two members in a sting operation — leaving the rest of the group dug in on land they called "Justus Township" and themselves sovereign citizens beyond federal law. For 81 days, LeRoy Schweitzer and his followers refused to come out, issuing counterfeit checks, mock warrants, and a writ of execution against a federal judge. On June 14, 1996, they surrendered without violence. Schweitzer, convicted on 25 counts, received 22 years — and died in federal prison in 2011…